You’re never too old!

You’re never too old!

Last night I went to my diet and fitness class as usual. It is very exciting to be meeting lots of new members now that I have changed my venue from the centre of Leicester where car parking fees were extortionate to a suburb where parking is free.

Last week two new ladies joined - one in her mid-eighties and the other a little younger. With new hips and knees their mobility was somewhat restricted and whilst I tried to show them how to exercise sitting in a chair, it was obvious that this wasn’t really working. I had given them our Kick-start diet to follow but I couldn’t help feeling that with the cakes in the afternoon, the chocolate that they both confessed to love greatly, that were part of their life, I wasn’t too optimistic about either their success on the diet or with their activity. I even doubted whether they would return this week. I had suggested that walking was a really good form of exercise and the more they could do the more it would help them.

Imagine my delight when they both arrived last evening. Walking over to me at the scales they were full of excuses. ‘I don’t think I’ve lost anything but I have stopped the chocolate and I have been walking – and we won’t be staying for the exercises’ said June with a sense of disappointment at letting me down. Elsie, the older of the two, added to the pre-scales-excuses with ‘I’ve not done any exercise but I have stopped eating chocolate!’. I was impressed that they had made at least some effort and made some changes. June stepped carefully onto the scales, closed her eyes with a face that said she was bracing herself for the bad news but she had lost 4 ½ lbs! She couldn’t have been more thrilled if I’d told her she’d won the Lottery! She stepped off the scales and would have done a jig if it hadn’t been for the two new hips and knees!

Then it was Elsie’s turn. I held her hand as she stepped gingerly on to the scales. Elsie had lost 3 ½ lbs and shrieked with delight, smiling from ear to ear like a teenager! The two of them almost skipped to their chairs and were truly thrilled and encouraged. There was a feeling of ‘new beginnings’ about them.

When June came forward with a spring in her step to collect her Slimmer of the Week certificate the room cheered and applauded. It was a magical moment. That’s why I love my job!